The Kansas City Chiefs are very familiar with the Buffalo Bills’ big acquisition in free agency this offseason.
A former first-round draft pick by the Denver Broncos in 2011, Von Miller has long been a thorn in the Chiefs’ side. In 18 career games against Kansas City, Miller has 58 total tackles and 13 sacks. Toward the end of his tenure in Denver, things were a struggle against the Chiefs, particularly when Patrick Mahomes began quarterbacking the team.
In his five career games against Mahomes since Week 17 of 2017, Miller has recorded just 1.5 sacks and six quarterback hits. Mahomes is well aware that Miller is a player who can wreck games.
“Yeah, Von (Miller) is a special player,” Mahomes told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s a Hall of Famer – first ballot Hall of Famer. He’s won two Super Bowls because of his leadership and, obviously, his play. And (he’s) someone you need to know where he’s at every single play. He’s a Texas guy. Those Texas guys know how to play football (laughs).”
As for one of the players who will be tasked with blocking Miller on Sunday, Chiefs LT Orlando Brown Jr. knows that he’s going to have his hands full. Asked whether anything has changed about the star pass-rusher, Brown Jr. thinks he’s perhaps even better than before.
“Not much (has changed), man,” Brown Jr. said. “I think he’s still having a ton of production – a lot of success. He’s done a really good job – it seems like on every team that he’s played on. He’s playing at a very high level – an All-Pro, Pro Bowl level – as a rush end. He’s still one of the best and been one of the best. As far as any drop-off – you can’t really say that. He’s been able to manipulate his game and, in my opinion, just get better over the years.”
In the last nine games Miller played against Kansas City with Denver, they lost to the Chiefs. In a way, he’s the player embodiment of the Bills’ frustrations in the playoffs in each of the past two years. That alone can be a powerful motivator. Regardless, slowing Miller down is going to be a tough task for K.C. and one that could be a vital component in notching another victory against Buffalo.
